Nova X
C''ommissioned artwork by:'' https://twitter.com/Criszunk Traits and Appearance Personality At only 23 years old Nova X is a remarkably talented psychic and thoroughly committed revolutionary, though she tends to act quite childish even for her young age. She adores plants, animals, long walks on the beach, and lobbing explosives—or hand axes—at any nobles who cross her path. Depending on her given mood, which can change in a heartbeat depending on which strange drug she's currently on, Nova may seem aloof, cryptic, joyous, or agitated, but she always prefers direct confrontation over subtlety or careful manipulation. Apparel and Physical Traits Her long, chestnut brown dreadlocks drape all the way down her back, though they're typically pulled up in a big messy bun or ponytail, partially covered by a red bandanna. Her eyes are bright hazel, sometimes accented by some ELPH ritual face paint in various shades of brown, green, blue or red—maybe all four when she's preparing for a particularly intense battle. Apart from the shimmering amber earrings she was given by her mother, Nova's typical dress is incredibly drab: some musty woolen poncho or a damp sackcloth robe. That said, she always wears short sleeves to show off the tattoo on her right bicep, a large black triskele with its three swirling tendrils conjoined at the center. The symbol represents the core Neo-animist doctrine of life, death, and rebirth, which Nova believes in devoutly and preaches fanatically. In many ways Nova sees herself as nothing more than an agent of this destruction and creation cycle. Psychic Abilities As a veteran agent of the ELPH, Nova is adept in both telepathic and biospionic psionic disciplines, due partially to her natural ability but also her peculiar and rigorous psychic training. As Nova perceives it, MES simply allows her to establish direct contact with the spirit of the planet and act as a physical conduit for all the mysticism of nature. As such, the manifestation of Nova's psychic techniques generally takes some sort of naturalistic form and are often accompanied by some sort of ritual or prayer to honor the spirits beyond. By far the most iconic of these techniques is the "spirit form" transformation, wherein Nova uses her biopsionic metamorph to change various aspects of her body to match her designated spirit animal, a large grey wolf with matted brown fur. The extent of this transformation can be anywhere from an surreal pair of long whiskers poking out from her cheeks to a full 7-foot werewolf-esque form with massive claws and snarling teeth. This secret technique allows experienced members of the ELPH to survive in environments where most humans could not, or to scale up sheer metal walls and hear someone coming from miles away. Apart from her spirit form though, Nova also has more ordinary psychic powers like MES healing and telepathic communication, all of which she uses to help aid her fellow revolutionaries, or catch her enemies off guard. Biography Early Childhood Born and raised on the planet Mona, Nova lived in a small colony settled by idealists and free-thinkers from all across the sector looking to escape the influence of the empire. Most of these colonists were various entrepreneurs who saw opportunity for new prosperity on the planet’s frozen horizon. Others were devout priests, monks, and shaman seeking freedom from the oppressive restrictions of the High Church to forge their own connection with the spirits beyond. Some were simply families of all different stripes who had heard whispers of a strange psychic academy which sought to abandon the rigid social structure and looming gaze of House Serpens. One way or another a couple dozen settler families found their one-way ticket to the small village of Hopeville and carved out their new lives, surrounded on all sides by the ever-expansive Monan tundra. Jakob and Julia Lisowski were one such couple who sought a new beginning, and quickly became cherished among their small village community as a talented mechanic and herbal therapist respectively. The whole village was glad to see little Nova born in good health, as cheery as her mother with her father’s fiery resolve. Everything seemed to hum right along in Hopeville until one fateful morning when an small group of Crux officials came to Mona looking for a dangerous psychic fugitive wanted for making an attempt on the life of a high priest. Wanted posters from the capital soon reached the small town, and on every door and light post was a near-perfect rendition of Jakob Lisowski's menacing face. No matter how uncooperative the townsfolk tried to be, it was only a matter of time before the fugitive was discovered, and young Nova will always carry the gruesome trauma of witnessing her loving father’s public execution as a 7-year old child, clutching tight to her grieving mother's chest. Adolescence ' Nova had always been a rebellious spirit, and after awakening to her MES powers she became the very definition of a delinquent student at the Monan psychic academy. In just a few short years her juvenile pranks and frequent truancy had escalated into a pattern of theft, violence, and drug abuse. While Nova struggled through her classes in the psychic academy, the planet’s capital city and student body grew tremendously after the of discovery valuable minerals near the planet’s capital, and along with the stream of prospectors from all across the sector seeking to earn their fortune came a paralleled stream of organized criminal syndicates looking to meet the prospector’s demand for hedonist vice. Just when things seemed most dire in her life, Nova found hope in the form of a wise and enchanting old woman, who gave countless public sermons on campus about the need for systemic change, spiritual salvation, and urgent action. The rogue intellectual known only as “Madam X” drew in crowds of several hundreds following the publication of her groundbreaking magnum opus ''The Ecology of Harmony. In this text she drew upon countless independent studies and decades of personal experience researching primitive alien societies to make bold claims about a theoretical period of relative peace and equality. According to the books' thesis this "Psionic Harmony" must have existed for several millennia in the sector prior to human colonization, and could once again be achieved if mankind were to simply abandon all industrial technologies to pursue a hunter-gatherer lifestyle instead. While much of the jargon and the historical analysis was well beyond Nova's comprehension, the intensity and enthusiasm of Madam X's sermons was simply exhilarating. At last, Nova thought, here was a woman willing to speak out and take action against the atrocities of the noble houses and the High Church! By the time she was fifteen Nova had more or less given up on her academics and joined instead with a secretive psychic cult known as the ELPH, earning a reputation as both the youngest and most determined fighter among the organizations' insular ranks. As powerful groups from every corner of the sector sought to control the profits of Mona's mineral wealth, every one of them faced resistance from and the ELPH's sudden and repeated attacks. It was at this time that Nova gained familiarity in combat and learned to defend herself, clashing with state authorities, corporate security, criminal families and the like. Between their powerful psychic abilities and intricate familiarity with the largely-uncharted Monan landscape, the ELPH insurgents put up a long and bloody fight; assassinating several government officials, massacring several mining teams and even wiping out a few hired mercenary teams. However, nearly a decade of this prolonged conflict took a serious toll on their relatively small and inexperienced membership. Eventually the ELPH had to flee from their beloved home planet, dispersing across countless star systems hiding out underground to rebuild and regrow before their next planned assault. '''Early Adulthood Despite all their recent setbacks, Nova has not yet given up hope in the revolutionary aims of the ELPH, and sees their formal affiliation with the Unified People's Collective as a major step towards achieving Madam X's vision for a Utopian future. Utilizing her amicable training with stealth, archery and melee combat, as well as her powerful psychic capabilities, Nova serves as a valuable asset in any necessary UPC operations—despite her highly contentious views on advanced weapons and technology. Character Stats Trained Foci * Psychic Training (level 2) ** During her time in the academy and under guidance of her ELPH mentors, Nova has had special training in Biospionics and gains several bonus skill points in that discipline, and one each time she levels up, as well as 1 additional effort. * Armswoman (level 1) ** As a particularly resourceful agent of the ELPH, Nova has become highly competent with thrown weapons and melee attacks. She can draw or sheath a stowed melee or thrown weapon as an Instant action, and add her Stab skill level to a melee or thrown weapon’s damage roll or Shock damage. * Authority (level 1) ** Having successfully recruited several fellow psychics into the ELPH, Nova has proven that while she's not a conventionally charming figure that others would trust as a leader, she does have an uncanny kind of charisma that makes people instinctively follow her. Any NPC who is not openly hostile to Nova may go out of their way to give aid in her revolutionary cause, even if they don't quite understand or agree with her core ideology and neo-animist principles. After a successful Cha/Lead skill check at a difficulty of the NPC’s Morale score, they will comply with her request, provided it is not harmful or extremely uncharacteristic. Psionic Disciplines & Techniques * ''Biopsionics '' ** Psychic Succor (level 3) ** Remote Repair ** Major Organ Restoration ** Metamorph * ''Telepathy '' ** Telepathic Contact (level 3) ** Facile Mind ** Transmit Thought ** Suppress Cognition ** Telepathic Assault Category:Characters Category:Patreons Category:Unified People's Collective Members __FORCETOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__